PHN 10071 1 2~,6.1~1 "Displa~ tube and method of manufacturing a display screen for such a displa~ tube"~
The inven-tion relates to a display tube compri-sing an evacuated en~elope having a clisplay windo~ and containing means to generate at least one electron beam which is deflected o~er a display screen~ which display screen i9 pro~ided on the inside of the display window and which displa~ screen comprises a luminescent layer on which a thin electron-permeable aluminium film is provided, said display screen moreo~er comprising carbon particles~
The invention also relates to methods of manuEacturing a display screen for such a display tube.
The aluminium ~ilm in such a display tube ensures an increase of the brightness of the picture in that said film operates as a mirror which reflects a part of the light generated in the luminescent layer through the displa~ window in the direction of the ~iewer.
Such display tubes may be tubes Eor monochroma-tic display of pictures~ for example black-and-white tele-~ision display tubes, projection television display tubes 7 cathode ray tubes as used in oscilloscopes and -tubes for 20 displaying letters, digits and characters (the so~called D.G.D.-tubes; D,G,D, = Data Graphic Displa~). The lumines~
cent layer in D~G.D,~ tubes often consi~-t of material luminescing in one colour.
~Iowever~ such tubes may also be -tubes Eor dis 25 playing coloured pictures. The luminescent layer oE the display screen consists in that case often of a large number of triplets of elements luminescing in t~ree different colours and separated or not separated by light-absorbing material By using a colour selection electrode in 30 the tube each o-E the three electron beams generated in the tube is associated with luminescent elements of one colour.
The most Erequently used colour selection electrode is the shadow mask.
~' Such a display tube is known from Netherlands Patent Applica-tion 6800398 - Compagnie Française de Telé-vision SA laid open to public inspec-tion July 22, 1968 in which a colour display tube having post-accelera-tion and post-focusing is described. A porous carbon layer is pro-vided on the thin aluminium film so as to absorb the greater part of the secondary and reflected electrons which occur in such a post-acceleration tube. Applicant's Canadian Patent 913,68~ (PHN 4376) issued October 31, 1972 discloses a colour display tube in which a layer of graphit (carbon) is used on the aluminium film so as to absorb the thermal radiation originating from the colour selection elec-trode. The elec-tron beams in a colour tube impinge on the colour selection electrode or the display screen and produce thermal energy there. Inter alia because more electrons impinge on the colour selection electrode, the latter becomes warmer. In order to prevent the thermal energy radiated from the colour selection electrode to the display screen from beiny reflected by the aluminium film to -the colour selection electrode, said aluminium film bears a heat-absorbing carbon layer.
In the manufacture of display tubes it has been found that the aluminium film on which a porous heat-absorb-ing and/or secondary and reflected electrons-absorbing porous layer of carbon particles was provided, corroded in a moist atmosphere. The corrosion of the aluminium occurs in particular in those places where the aluminium film is in contact with the carbon particles and where an electrochem-ical reaction occurs between water and aluminium. The most important factor is the relative humidity of the atmosphere.
At a relative humidity of 80% or higher the corrosion of the aluminium film is so large that measures have to be taken to protect the aluminium film.
Such corrosion of the aluminium film also occured in colour display tubes in which light absorbing material consisting mainly of carbon particles was provided between the luminescent elementsO
PHN 100,1 3 2~ p1981 It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a clisplay tube in which measures are taken to sub-stan-tially prevent eorrosion of the alun1iniunl films ~ nother ob~jeet of the invention is to provide methods of ma1lufaeturing such a display -tube, /~eeording -to -the invention, a display tube of -the kind described in -the opening paragraph is eharaeterized in -that the a~uminium film is eovered with aluminium phosphate at least at -the area where it adjoins the earbon partielesO The said 1n a:Luminium phosphate coatirlg ensures that subs-tantially no corrosion of the aluminium film oecurs.
~ firs-t preferred em'bodimen-t of a display tube according to the invention is characterized in thclt a porous9 eleccron ~ermeable contai,~ ,ngr laver colnpris~ng~
carbon particles is provicled O1l the a:luminium f`ilm and the allmlinium film is eovered at leas-t partly wi,t.th a.]uminium phosphate on the side of the porous carbon par-ticles-con-taining layer at least a-c the area where the carbon par-ticles adjoin the aluminium. Such a porous carbon particles containing layer is blaek f`or -thermal radiationO This means that the screen readily absorbs therrnal energy but also readily radiates thermal energy~ :Uy providing such a thermal1y blask layer on the aluniinium film oI'-the display screen, the thermal energy generated by the electron beam in the lumineseent ma-terial is rapidly dissipatec1 by radiation so that the displ,ay sereen ean be lvac1ed more heavily (a larger beam current is admissible) ancl a brighter picture ean be obtained~ This is of importa,nce in particular in projection television display tubes O
Ho~-ever, sush a porous layer may also be -usecl for thermal absorp-tion in a colour display tube -w}lich is eharacterized in that the luminescen-t layer of the display sereen comprise.s a large number of -triplets of elements luminescirlg in three differen-t colours, in fron-t of which display screen a colour selection elec-trode is pro-vicled ~hieh associa-tes each of the three elec~ron beams gerlera-ced in the tube with luminescen-t elements of one colourc Such a colour display tube is disclosed in the already mentioned Canadian Patent 913,584 laid open to public inspection.
In order to obtain the aluminium phosphate coat-ing of -the aluminium film it is possible to spray or rinse same with a phosphoric acid solution prior to providing the porous carbon layer~
A preferred method of manufacturing a display screen for a display tube in accordance with -the inven-tion is characterized in that the method comprises the following steps:
- providing a luminescent layer - vapour-depositing an aluminium Eilm over the luminescent layer - providing a porous carbon particles containlng layer - spraying or rinsing the porous carbon particles-contain-ing layer with an at most 2% by weight phosphoric acid solution in water - drying the display screen.
British Patent Specification 810rllO - General Electric Company Ltd. granted November 15, 1956 discloses a colour display tube in which between the luminescent ele-ments oE the display screen carbon (graphite) is provided which absorbs liyht which impinges on the display screen from without and thus increases the contrast of the colour display screen. Such a colour display tube is also termed a matrix colour display tube. Again an aluminium film is provided over the luminescent elements and the carbon. In order to prevent corrosion of said aluminium film at the area where it is in contact with the carbon particles, according to the invention the aluminium film is covered wlth aluminium phosphate at least at the area where it adjoins the light-absorbing material (carbon).
A preferred method of manufacturing such a dis-play screen is characterized in that the method comprises the following steps-- providing a pattern of triplets of luminescent elements - providing light-absorbing material consisting mainly of ~11~' 10071 5 2Li~o 1g8 l carbon particles between the lumirlescent elemen-ts - spraving or ri.nsing said material and the luminescent elements wit1-1 an at most 2~Co bv weigc,ht -phosphorie acic~
sOlUtiOil iIl water - dr,ving the provided material and the luminescent eiements - vapour-depositing the aluminium i`ilm.
, l~S is known? the i`irst two steps o~` this proeess ; r ~ ~ f~ c~
mav be i~,ro~Zargcd-O In this method the phos-phorie aeid is adsolbed on the earbon. After drying -~he sereen ancl vapour-deposi-tin~ -the aluminium film -the phosp'l-lorie aeid reacts with t]-e al-uminiwn and i`orms aluminium phosphate.
During the f`urtller :Qnishing oi` the -tube the saicl phosphate l.aver llas co:rrosion-inhibi~ting properties. I:t is also possible to use the tliO above mentionec3 methods ~hic]-l ilave been rnodi~ied b,v using a phosphoric acid solutiorl whieh also eontains 0.1 to 2.00,h by weig.ht of aluminium phosphate (AlPO~). Since phosphates, like i`or e~ample, silicates7 can polymerize, said alwninium phosphate so]ution forms a binder with very good adhesion properties~ Experiments have demonstrated that the concentratioIl o:f ~l:PO~ in 113P04 determirles -~or a part the proper-ties Or~` the :Formecl bi.nder, This concentration may be expressecl in the mo:Le ratio P205/Al203 which preferably is 'between 2 ancl 4. T11e alumiIlium phospha.te a-~ter drying remains in -the carbon l.ayer so that the latter adheres even be-tterO This reduees the occurrence of undesired loose carbon particles in the display screenO Moreover i-t has been found tha-t upon using the above-mentioned first method the combustio:n of the carbon particles during sealing the display window -to the remainder of the envelope is eonsiderably reducecl~ :During this sealing process~ approximately 400,h oi`-the carbon particles burns without the use of the me-thoc10 When using the method in which the porous layer comprising carhon particles is sprayed with a phosphorie aci.d solution or ~iith a pilosphorie acicl solution in w:nieh aluminill1n phos-phate has been dissolved in the pllospnoric acicl7 this is redueed to 2G~ As a result of this i-t is possible to I'llN 10071 6 24,6~1981 obtain a more constan-t blackin.g quality of the porous la,ver.
Tl:le in~rention wi]l now be clescribed in greater ~letail~ by way Or e~ample, with re~eren.ce to a drawi.ng, 5 1I~ W11i Cl1:
Figure 1 is a broken~away elevation of` a colour-display tube according to the invention7 ~ igure 2 is an elevation of a part of` the colour selection electrode and of`-the di.spla-v windo~- with -the displ.ay screen present thereon~
:Figure 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged sca].e of` a f`ragrnent of the display ~inclo~T~itll the display screen presen-t thereon and Figure 4 is a sectional. view Oi~l l'raglrlent ol`
tlle display windo~ with the display screen present thereon of` a colour display tube according -to the invention of the matrix type.
Figure I is a broken-away eleva-tion of a colour-display tube according to the invention. Present in a neck 1 of a glass envelope 2 are three electron guns 3 ? 4 and 5 f`or generating three electron beams 6~ 7 and g which are focused on a display screen 9 on -the insicle ol` a dis-play window lO which is the sealed to a display tube cone 1-l and which are def`lec-ted over said display screcnin -t~o 25 mutually perpenclicular.directions~ Tlle tllree electron 'beams 6~ 7 ancl 8 enclose a small angle -with each other r,~nd pass through a colour selection electrode 12 via apertures 13 and thus impinge each on one of the l~minescellt elernents 14~ 15 ancl 16 each made of a phosphor luminescing in a 30 different colour. The display screen consist;s of a very large nurnber O-r saicl -triplets of phospl-Lor lines of` which only three are sl-lo~rn.
Figure 2 is an elevation of a part of -t}le colour selection elec-trocle and of -the display wincdow IO Wittl 35 the display screen 9 present thereon. An alumini.um film '17 on which a porousllayer 18 of carbon is provicled is presen-t over the triple-ts of phosphor lines, PIIN 10071 7 ~4. 6~ 19~31 11'igure 3 i9 a sectional view o:f a f`ragment of the display willdow with the display screen prssen-t tllereonO The lulninescent elements ILI, 15 and 16 are provided iIl the usual manner on the glass o~ the display window lO. Over the elements which usually consist o~ a phosphor9 a 0.3/um thick aluminiunl fi]m is vapour deposited OIl which a porous layer -l~ consisting Or carbon par-ticles ?9 is provided in an average thickness o~ 0.3/um and a weigh-t o~ O.l to 0,~ rng/cm B~r rinsing or spraylng the aluminium ~ilm 17 coated ~ith the porous layer l8 of carbon with the phosplloric aci.d solution describe(l, a corrosion reducing layer 20 o:~ alurninium phosphate is formed at the surface oL` the allmlinium rilm. This layer has an average thi..ckness o-~ O.~/um, Ir in addition aluminium phospllate is 5 also dissolved in the phosplloric acid solution9 alumi.nlum phosphates also deposit between the grains 19 o~ the porous carbon layer -l~ as a result o:~ which the aclhesion of the grains 19 becomes even bet-ter.
~igure ~ is a sectional view ana.logous to Figure ~ 3 but now o~ a colour display tube o~ the ma-trlx -type~ In the usual manner9 ror example via a photographic or electrophotograpllic process~ -the luminescen-t elerrlents 31l~
35 and 36 are provided on the glass of the display window 30 betweell which clements light-absorbing elements 31 of car-25 bon are providecl. ~ 0,2/um -thick aluminiul1l l`ilm 3~ ls vapour dep~ited over said luminescen-t elerllents a.nd the light-absorbing carbon on which~ just as in the display screen SlJ.OWn in ~igure 3? a porous carbon layer may again be provided (not shown in this ~igure). ly rinsing or 30 spraying the luminescent elements ancl-the ]igh-t~absorbi.ng carbon therebet~een prior to vapourdepositing the alumi~rlium filrng phosphoric acid is adsorbed on -the carbon~ ~ter vapour deposition the aluminium film said phosphoric acid reacts with the aluminium and al-umini.um phosphate 33 is ~ormed~ This alwrlinium pnosph~tG has an amorphous structure 9 is a good electrical insulator and gives corrosio~
inhibiting properties to the aluminium ~ilrn so tha-t sub-3~
Pll~ 10071 8 24~6.1981 stantially no corrosion OCCUl'S at a large r~lativehumidity ( 95%) ~or a very long time (2 to 3 weeks).